learning to open up, a spider-man fanfic
by aut0phile
Summary: Peter Parker has a mild crush on MJ, and it's growing. He just doesn't know it. MJ keeps telling herself the only reason she wants to spend more time with him is that he likes to ditch everything. This is the story of them realizing things that will eventually bring them together. Spideychelle.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Peter Parker has a mild crush on MJ, and it's growing. He just doesn't know it. MJ keeps telling herself the only reason she wants to spend more time with him is that he likes to ditch everything. This is the story of them realizing things that will eventually bring them together.**

 **Spider-Man has got to be my favorite superhero, so naturally, I had to write a fic about him. I loved Homecoming, and while I thought Peter and Liz were cute, I felt myself wanting something between Peter and MJ. I really hope they'll explore that in the next movie, but in the meantime, I'm left to make up my own stories. Enjoy.**

* * *

Michelle Jones was an enigma.

It wasn't just Peter who thought that; Ned and everybody else was always confused by her behavior. She could be warm one moment and be verbally kicking their ass the next. Then there were those in between when she would tease them somewhat playfully. It got a little hard to tell when she was serious and when she wasn't.

After the events of homecoming (Peter bailing on Liz and ultimately putting her dad in prison), Peter only became closer with his friends, Ned knowing his secret identity and Michelle (or as she liked to be called now, MJ) opening up a bit to the two, starting to hang out with them not just during school, but afterwards, sometimes even coming over to Peter's or Ned's place to watch movies or just shoot the breeze, or whatever.

There were moments when one of them made MJ laugh, be it with a stupid impression of a character or a funny joke, and it always made Peter's heart jackhammer in his chest. The best was when she threw her head back and closed her eyes, mouth set in an open smile, laughing hysterically. That laugh was infectious; Peter and Ned couldn't help but ride her wave of happiness, laughing loudly along with her.

Then the moment was gone, and she'd deadpan some borderline disrespectful observation about something they'd done or said earlier. They were always left with a slight frown on their faces, but if it was silent for too long the moment would get awkward. With MJ, they were constantly pressured to word vomit.

That didn't mean they didn't have their share of casual, just friendly moments. Whether it be a lunch at the coffee shop or a sleepover where they laughed at bad acting, they had their good times.

And that was when it was the three of them. Whenever Peter was alone with MJ, things felt different. Ned wasn't there to keep the conversation going. He definitely liked to talk. However, Peter barely talked coherently in general, and when girls were involved, he devolved into a stuttering, blushing mess.

* * *

There was one time when the two were studying for the academic decathlon, and Ned had a doctor's appointment or something. MJ was quizzing him on chemical compounds, and he was answering consistently and correctly - he knew everything they were reviewing. But suddenly, while answering the questions, he looked up from his hands, which his eyes were previously glued upon, and gazed at MJ.

Her eyes were constantly flickering from his face to the index cards she was reading the questions off of. She was sat across from him on his bed, legs tucked neatly under her. Then she looked up at him, and when he didn't answer, she frowned. "Forget something, Peter?"

He was silent. Her piercing stare was suddenly extremely attractive, and he couldn't answer whatever question she had asked him.

"Peter."

He was still transfixed. She was still staring at him in that... way, and that only made it harder for him to concentrate.

She sighed impatiently and resorted to drastic measures. She brought her hands closer to his face and slapped him in time with the words she spoke.

"Earth." Slap.

"To." Slap.

"Peter." However, she didn't get to slap him a third time, because when her hand was inches from his face, he grabbed her wrist and held it tightly. Her mouth dropped open slightly, and both of their breaths hitched.

"Sorry - I - I, uh..." Peter began.

"Is there something on my face?" She asked, her tone slightly calmer, friendlier than the aggressive, grilling tone she had been using while she was asking him the questions.

"N - no, your face is fine, it - it's normal. It's perfectly - "

She stopped him with a little wave of her hand, pulling her wrist free. "Whatever, dude. Just tell me what the chemical makeup of ammonia is."

"NH3," he immediately replied. He was back on his rhythm, and there were no other interruptions after that.

After their study session, and MJ's departure, Peter immediately called Ned. He had to tell him about the moment, every little detail.

Ned picked up in the middle of the second ring. "What's up, Peter?"

"Ned, Ned, oh my god. Oh my god, you have to hear this."

Ned's voice picked up a concerned tone. "What happened, man? Are you okay? Did someone find out you were Spider-Man?"

Peter frowned at that and shook his head, even though he knew Ned couldn't see it. "What? No! Of course not," he said vehemently. "Okay, listen. You know how I was studying with MJ, right?"

He could hear the smirk in Ned's voice as he responded. "Ooh, you guys get it on while you were alone?"

"NO! OH MY GOD, NED, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Peter yelled into the phone. "Will you _please_ just listen to me?"

"Okay, Peter, jeez. Calm down."

"Okay. Okay. So like I was saying, we were reviewing for decathlon, right, and I was doing great, answering all the questions correctly or whatever when I looked at MJ."

"Uh huh?" Ned urged, and Peter continued.

"And she was like, looking at me, staring into my eyes or whatever, and I was just like, staring back, and for some reason, I thought she looked so _good_ right there at that moment and I could not say anything, man. It was so weird, I - "

"Wait," Ned said, stopping him. "Good, as in at _tract_ ive? Are you saying you think MJ is attractive?"

"Well, I don't know, I... I'm a little confused."

"Dude!" Ned exclaimed. "Dude, you have a crush on MJ! Oh, this is golden."

"No - NO, Ned, I do NOT have a crush on MJ! Look, I'll talk to you later." He pressed the "end call" button on his phone and stuffed it in his pocket. He looked down at his feet, hanging off the side of his bed, thinking.

Did he really have a crush on MJ? No, he couldn't. They were just friends.

 _Right?_

* * *

The next moment they had that resembled anything like the one during the study session included Ned. This time, they were at the coffee shop, discussing the quality of the different Star Wars trilogies. Peter and Ned agreed that the oldest was the best, while MJ preferred the newer films.

"I just don't understand how you can like the newer films. They just recycle so much from the older ones and there's not a lot of originality," Ned pointed out.

"Do you really think I care about the plot?" MJ countered. "The third trilogy is so much better because there's so much more diversity than in the other two. One of the main characters is black. There are more than a few POC supporting characters. And so on," she said, taking a bite out of Peter's sandwich.

"Well, diversity is cool and all, but - " Peter started.

"Stop talking, nerd. You don't wanna get into this argument." To accentuate her statement, she tore off a piece of bread from his sandwich and threw it at him. It hit him on his left cheek, just above his jaw, and bounced off harmlessly.

"Yeah, well, you don't wanna get into a food fight with Peter Parker."

"Come at me, dork," she said tauntingly.

"You asked for it," Peter replied, sighing, as he grabbed a napkin from the dispenser and dipped it in the coffee she was drinking. He crumpled it up and tossed it lightly towards MJ. It stuck to her jacket for a moment, then oozed off. She looked down at it as it landed, following its path, and when she looked back up at Peter, who had his eyebrow raised, she wore an expression that was half smirk, half anger.

Suddenly, she smiled and threw a bigger piece of bread at him. He feigned shock, putting his hand over his chest like in the soap operas, but in reality, he wasn't surprised. His response was to grab the sandwich right out of her hands, and this time, he took a little bit of egg right out of the sandwich. He threw the scrap, and to the trio's horror, it landed right in her hair. And it stuck.

Peter's eyes went wide. He began to profusely apologize, grabbing another napkin out of the dispenser, and reaching for the part of her hair where the food scrap had landed. When he tangled his hand in her locks, Ned noticed blood rushing to both Peter's and MJ's cheeks. Peter tentatively reached with the napkin in his hand to pull the scrap out, and when he did, he immediately let go of her hair like it was on fire.

Slowly, he stood up, said "Sorry" one more time, and sped off to the trash can to toss it. While he was gone, Ned winked at MJ and said, "So you and Peter, huh?"

The glare she gave him was enough to make him wish he went back in time and never said that. Shaking with anger, and possibly a little embarrassment, she said, "I will punch your teeth out."

"Never mind..." Ned said, awkwardly. He looked around the coffee shop, but there was no Peter by the trash bin. Frowning, he observed, "Well, looks like Peter booked it."

 _"What?"_ MJ exclaimed incredulously. When Ned looked at her, smirking, she added, "Not like I care or anything. It's just weird how he keeps ditching us at _every possible event he can."_

Peter had indeed booked it and ditched his street clothes for the spandex red and blue suit. Swinging through the streets, he was still experiencing aftershock from the embarrassing actions he had taken part in. A couple times, he lost focus, and almost splatted on the ground when he should have shot out another web.

Peter was running away from his feelings, and he knew this. But how far could he run before they caught up to him?

* * *

 **The next chapter is going to be from MJ's point of view. What did you guys think? Leave a review. I'm always trying to improve my methods. For those who read this and all of my other works, thanks for the support. Until next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, here's the new chapter, from MJ's point of view as promised. To be candid, I found MJ a little hard to portray at times. I guess it's because I can't really relate to her - we don't have very similar personalities. I've seen other fanfics that write her so well, and I feel like I've only been able to describe her as some lovestruck dork. I think I might stick to writing as Peter for future chapters. Also, I'm considering changing the pairing to Peter Parker / Mary Jane Watson, but I don't know if that will make it any easier to find. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Peter Parker was an enigma.

He didn't like to talk about what he did outside of school, which MJ would normally assume would be nothing, since he was a loser, but instead, he constantly had something to do that was better than AcaDec practice, if that was even possible.

And he always came up with the lamest excuses, too. "I have to meet with Mr. Stark," he'd say, eliciting a "Bullshit" from Flash. MJ hated to admit that she agreed with him, but she would never say it aloud. "May called, she wants me to... go grocery shopping." She so badly wanted to call him out, but she also didn't want to say something that would make it sound like she was obsessed with him, like she was worried about _Peter_ goddamn _Parker_ of all people.

So instead, she just let him go, but that didn't mean she neglected to bring it up whenever they were with Ned, or alone. Whenever the conversation steered to what he did in his free time, though, he shut it down by changing the topic.

Besides that, she found him somewhat enjoyable to hang out with. He and Ned were her first real friends. She originally prided herself on being able to carry herself alone, spending most of her time in the fictional worlds of Harry Potter or Game of Thrones. However, with the addition of the two dorks to her life, she found herself wanting to spend less time reading and more time talking to them about absolutely nothing.

The majority of the time they spent hanging out outside of school was spent in Peter's apartment. In his habitat, MJ got to see a different side of Peter that he didn't show in school. He would wear shirts that she would originally think hung off his frame awkwardly, but she found herself focused on the outlines of the taut muscles hidden under his top. It was only because he looked skinnier in school. That. Totally.

He also wore an easy smile that seemed to constantly be on his face, which was a welcome change from his eyes constantly popping out, and his lips tensely pursed. He always seemed like if someone were to poke him, he'd fall over, like a cardboard cutout.

He was even able to match her sarcasm somewhat, and she did not like that. She'd constantly try to beat him with some snark, but he'd retort just as fiercely. She supposed that it was home field advantage giving him this extra confidence.

One time, they were watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a favorite of all three teenagers. During the scene where Ferris was running home, dashing through front yards and vaulting over fences, MJ said, "Parker, pass me the popcorn so I can fully enjoy the awesomeness of this scene."

"Come and get it, Jones," he said, tilting his head and giving her a lopsided grin. Groaning, she got up from her slouching position on Peter's comfortable couch and sauntered over to him.

When she stood over Peter, the latter being comfortably seated, the grin still on his face and popcorn still in his hands, she felt a little nervous. He looked really cute, and maybe, just maybe - she wanted to kiss that stupid grin off his face.

She blushed a little at the thought and pushed it to the back of her mind as she reached for the popcorn in Peter's lap.

Of course. Of course, he had to tear it out of her reach, behind the sofa, but at his eye level. She groaned again and reached past his head. She still stood, stiff-legged, not wanting to get any closer than she had to and get super flustered. But even as she reached, her arms weren't long enough to tear the bowl out of his hands. She grudgingly leaned closer, and as her head lowered closer to his, she could have sworn she saw Peter blush and heard him exhale shakily.

She grinned. She'd gotten the effect she'd hoped for. For leverage, and just to tease him some more, she placed her hand on his chest, just below his collarbone, for _leverage_. Damn if he didn't have some crazy muscles. She thought Peter hated any form of physical activity whatsoever, though.

Finally, she reached with her left hand to the popcorn bowl, now dangerously hanging out of his hand, looking like he might drop it and make it shatter, but somehow, it didn't. She took the bowl, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered, "Pardon my French, but you're an asshole."

As she stood up again, she could see that there was a very red Peter Parker sitting under her, but he was laughing. Soon enough, so was she.

Ned was completely out of the loop, though. "What the hell did I just see?" The two flustered teenagers immediately stopped laughing, and MJ walked quickly back over to her previous seat on the couch.

"The master at work, Leeds. Now shut up. I just missed a few minutes."

* * *

MJ may have been the intimidating one in their little group, but Peter was definitely the nice one. Sometimes, it even pissed her off; his constant offers to carry the books in her hands which forced her to strain with the weight of them and the heavy bag on her back with even more books; his refusals to push back whenever she pushed him, not maliciously, of course, it was just something MJ did to mess with him. His antics got on her nerves, and she let him know it.

"Sometimes I wish I could slap the nice out of you, Parker," she'd said, once.

He gave her that damn grin before replying, "You tried already, remember?"

"Well..." she began, looking down at her Converse-clad feet, remembering that particular experience in Peter's bedroom. She shifted her weight between her feet, looking past Peter's left arm, his _muscular_ left arm, at Ned eating his lunch, unassuming, and finally, back into Peter's eyes.

His grin only grew wider, and there was that impulse again, that impulse to kiss him until they both couldn't breathe and their faces were red from exertion.

 _Damn it, MJ, pull it together._

"I could always try again," she finally managed after several beats. She tried her best to look unbothered, standing up as straight as she possibly can, giving a little _hmph_ to show she really meant it.

But his gaze is powerful, and she knows he knows she's affected by it, and all she can do is walk past him and plop herself down next to Ned, saying "What's up, loser," and just avoid having to talk to the attractive, nice, funny boy she was falling extremely hard for.

* * *

At the end of that day, MJ had packed her bag and was walking home. She lived about a mile away, but she hated taking the bus and walking cleared her head after a crazy day like today.

Of course, though, the gods laughed down at her from the heavens. This walk was not going to be casual or head-clearing in any way whatsoever. Because when she was crossing the street, face buried in her latest read, she heard the loud honk of a car and the loud cry of a somewhat-familiar voice, yelling _"Look out!"_ She looked up from the book and to her right, where the honk was coming from. Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. A huge truck was headed straight for her, and all she could do was stand in the middle of the street like a deer in headlights. She looked into the cab of the truck and saw the horrified expression of the man driving it. He was obviously trying to brake, with his constant glances to where his feet would be, but it wasn't slowing down any time soon.

Suddenly, she felt her feet leave the ground and wind whipping her hair into her face. She opened her eyes and saw through her mane of hair that was covering her eyes that Spider-Man was the one who had saved her. He had a tight grip around her waist, and for extra security, she wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing like a maniac. She was a little in shock, but the experience was exhilarating. She could hear her book's pages flapping in the wind, and it was something of a satisfying sound.

A few seconds later, she felt them slow to a stop, and the spandex-suited vigilante lowered with her to the ground. When he let go of the web that was keeping them in the air, her knees buckled a little bit from the sudden contact with the earth. He wrapped his other arm around her waist, holding her tighter when she almost fell.

His weird robot eyes made a sound, like a camera shutter opening, as they grew in size. "Are you okay?" He asked, in a deep voice.

"Wow," she said, still looking up at him, a little out of breath, arms still wrapped around his neck. He seemed to notice this and stood her up. She realized she was taller than him as she slowly gained her footing. Weird. "So is that a voice modulator or something?"

He quickly let go of her, scratching the back of his head and taking two steps backward, and she felt a tinge of recognition in the back of her mind, his quirks seeming _just_ a bit similar to a particular bumbling nerd she knew, but she quickly pushed the outlandish theory out of her head. He laughed uncomfortably. "Nah, I just - uh, I just talk like this."

She narrowed her eyes and looked at him with what she knew had become her signature frown, but he seemed undeterred. This disappointed her slightly, but she supposed superheroes were a little more impervious to curious looks from teenagers than she originally thought.

"Well," MJ said, tapping her foot on the cement of the sidewalk, "aren't there better things to be doing than talking to weird teenage girls? Like fighting crime?"

She thought she heard him whisper something, and almost leaned in closer to hear it better, but she decided to not seem too nosy and just stood there. Then, he spoke up. "It was a pleasure saving you, M - miss. I'll see you around."

Then, he swung off into the chilly Queens sunset, and what she was seeing would make a great photograph, if she had a camera on her: His outstretched hand, clinging onto the length of silk extending from his palm, his admirable muscles flexing under the suit, tasked with holding on to the web. And of course, the sun leaving a shadow she could follow on the ground before it disappeared behind a corner, off to do some more saving bookworms from getting hit by 18-wheelers, or something.

Yeah, Spider-Man was attractive. He had a need to help people. It would have been so easy for him to become yet another low-level criminal, what with his literal superpowers, but instead he took the high road - and that was endearing. He was also funny, and good-hearted.

Did she have a crush on Spider-Man? If not, there were certainly the beginnings of an attraction developing inside her. She didn't need to know who was under the mask to realize it, but she certainly had her suspicions.

 _I'll find out who you are, Spider-Dork._

* * *

 **So, what did you guys think? Write a review. I finished this chapter a little quickly; I began working on it the _second_ I uploaded the first, and then I finished it a day later. This is really fun to write, as you might have guessed. Also, this isn't going to have _too_ many chapters. I can't commit to a fic for that long. Expect a payoff soon, just probably not in the next chapter. Anyway, until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! This chapter I also finished extremely early - I just can't help but write more and more for this fic. I realize that maybe I should take more time with this, and probably get a beta reader, but I cannot resist. I also might publish this on AO3 when I'm done; they have a bigger following since it's easier to find Spideychelle fics on that site. Here are the latest exploits from Peter's point of view. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _"I'd rather be spending time with you,"_ he'd almost said.

Well, technically he did say it, just not loud enough for her to hear. And he was glad. Because if she had heard him, that would give her a pretty big hint as to who was hiding under that mask.

He couldn't afford another person finding out. Ned found out by dumb luck; he was in the right place at the right time. May found out because Peter was being stupid, and didn't close the door when he was _in the damn suit._ Once she had been enlightened, she was consistently on his back about being safe, contacting Mr. Stark if anything went wrong, and above all, _never_ revealing his identity to anyone else unless he was sure he could trust them with his life.

She was also on his back about other things, like the goings-on in school, AcaDec, and to his despair, whatever the deal was with that girl, _Michelle._

Whenever she brought MJ up, Peter would theatrically groan to show her how much he loathed the question, always eliciting a giggle from his aunt.

"Seriously, she's always over when I'm not home. How do I know you two aren't getting up to risky business?" May asked, wiggling her eyebrows while she said "risky business."

He gagged, only somewhat joking when he did so. "May! It's not like that, like at _all!_ We're just friends..." She raised her eyebrows, drawing a few more words from Peter's mouth. "Friends that consistently hang out and not always to study."

"Excuse m - " May began.

Peter realized what he had said and shook his head profusely, defusing it by vehemently saying, "I didn't mean to say it like that! That's not what I meant! I just - ugh!"

Now, May was howling; this had to be the cutest boy in the world. He looked positively annoyed as he watched her making fun at his expense, face beet red, looking down at his socked feet.

Finally coming down from her laughing fit, she patted Peter on the shoulder a few times, and reassured him, "You'll know how to tell her eventually, Peter." Suddenly, she stared deep into his eyes, an intensity he didn't expect surfacing in her gaze. "Just don't repress your feelings for too long, because if you do, you'll only be hurting yourself."

He mumbled out a "Got it" and turned away from May, her hand falling slowly to her side as she watched him walk to his room.

* * *

The next day, he goes to school slightly more aware of his feelings for the girl who called him "Loser" and "Nerd" and "Dork." When he saw her, leaning on a row of lockers next to Ned, who was getting his stuff for morning classes, he gulped.

In the middle of their conversation, MJ looked past Ned and saw Peter awkwardly standing in the distance. She waved him over, yelling, "Get over here, dork!"

He laughed nervously to himself, glancing down at his feet before he obliged her and approached his friends.

When he reached them, he grinned. They radiated such positive energy.

"Leeds here was just telling me about how he used to sleep in his parents' bed until he was eight," MJ said, a twinkle in her eye and a wide smile on her face, which was unusual unless she was lying. He hoped she was; Ned didn't need the extra embarrassment.

"What?!" Ned exclaimed, incredulous. His voice lowered to a whisper. "How did you know?"

She frowned at him. "I was just joking, weirdo. I didn't think that was true." She began to laugh. This was extremely out of character for her, and Peter decided to ask her about it.

"You seem kinda chipper today, MJ," he observed, "What's on your mind?" She opened her eyes, seemingly snapping out of her oddly happy mindset for a second, and she blinked.

"Oh, I just saw Spider-Man yesterday. He saved my life. I guess I'm just happy I'm still here." She said it nonchalantly, but Peter became progressively more nervous as she said the sentence.

"You saw Spider-Man?" Ned yelled. A few heads turned, and murmurs picked up around them.

"Yeah. Keep your voice down, idiot."

"What - what happened, MJ? Are you okay?" Peter finally spoke up, voicing his concern, even though he knew she had been okay - he didn't want to _not_ say anything and be asked about it by MJ.

Her frown was directed towards him now. "Clearly, nerd," she confirmed, spreading her arms out low at her sides as if showing off the fact that she was, in fact, perfectly fine.

"R - right."

"He was kinda nice, and super chill about the whole thing, actually," she added on, like an afterthought. "It was almost like he wanted to talk to me instead of leave."

Peter swallowed the lump in his throat that was slowly growing. Saving them from silence, Ned grinned, and said cheekily, "Crushing on Spider-Man, are we?"

He winked for added effect. It was one of the worst winks he'd ever seen. His face scrunched up as he made what looked like a serious effort to close only one eye, and it took him a full two seconds to do so.

"I'm not going to humor you with a response since that was the ugliest wink I've ever seen on the ugliest mug I've ever seen. Now come on," MJ urged, beckoning over her shoulder with her right hand, "we're gonna be late for Chemistry."

Ned shook his head at her statement but followed nonetheless. Peter was laughing into the palm of his hand.

(break here)

Well, she hadn't denied it. But Peter couldn't let that occupy his thoughts - she didn't know he was Spider-Man, and it would totally ruin their friendship if he said, _Hey,_ I'm _Spider-Man,_ and she realized that it was Peter Parker she was crushing on and not some cool superhero.

At lunch, when the three finally got an opportunity to talk without being interrupted or yelled at by a teacher, Ned immediately started peppering MJ with questions.

"What happened? Did you flirt with him? Was he funny?"

Peter stifled his laugh as MJ groaned. They both knew Leeds wouldn't shut up until he got what he wanted, so she answered his questions in order. "I almost got hit by a huge ass truck, but he grabbed me and swung me out of the way onto the sidewalk. I did _not_ flirt with him. He wasn't really trying to be funny, just being nice. I mean, what was he gonna do, let me go splat in the middle of an intersection?"

 _Never,_ Peter screamed inside his head.

"There was something weird about him, though," she added. This piqued both Ned's and Peter's interests. "It was almost like... he reminded me of someone." She scanned both pairs of eyes. The two boys were openly gaping.

Peter was quick to dismiss this observation. "What? No way, MJ. Wait, did that just rhyme? I mean - whatever. Like, what are the odds that Spider-Man is someone _you're_ personally connected to?"

"Meh, maybe you're right," she admitted. "But that doesn't change the fact that I felt like I knew him. Something about him just screamed _familiar_ to me, you know?"

"That's - that's ridiculous, dude. Like I said, what are the odds?" Peter repeated, earning him a sidelong glance from Ned.

"Whatever, dude. Why are you getting so worked up about it anyway? Do _you_ have a crush on Spider-Dork, pretty boy?" MJ teased, wagging a finger at him good-naturedly.

"His name is Spider- _Man,"_ Peter insisted under his breath.

* * *

"Dude, MJ was totally on to you at lunch," Ned said as they chowed down on Japanese food, sitting at the coffee table in Peter's apartment. They both knew that if they got a single grain of rice on May's beloved couches, she'd probably kick Peter out of the house.

"I know, man. That was really scary," Peter admitted as he took a dumpling between his chopsticks and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. It was a disgusting habit, but ever since he'd acquired his powers, his dexterity had increased drastically, and he took no liberties in flaunting it whenever he could. Before getting bitten, he couldn't use chopsticks to save his life. Now he could spin both of them around his fingers at the same time like a master.

"You know, if you're not careful, she could find out pretty easily. She's pretty observant," Ned pressed, "and _totally_ not obsessed with you or anything," he said, wagging his eyebrows. People seemed to do it around him every chance they got. It was really starting to get on his nerves.

Peter sighed. "Will you drop it about me and MJ?" He begged. "We. Are. Just. Friends. Just friends," he whispered.

"I don't know, man. It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself more than me." This earned Ned an empty takeout box being thrown at his face. "Ow."

Peter hoped that would deter him from speaking any further on the matter, but Ned was relentless. "You know, man, she stares at you when you aren't looking."

The listener flushed a bit at that comment. "That's ridiculous. I would notice, Ned, I've got the spider senses, you know?"

"Obviously not, stupid. Your mind must be on other things. Like... hmm, let me see..." Ned stroked an imaginary beard on his chin, deliberately drawing out his response for dramatic effect. "MJ?" He finally suggested.

Peter simply rolled his eyes, but a light pink grew on his cheeks.

"And don't act like you don't stare at her too. If heart eyes are real, man, you got 'em."

"Well, I - I wouldn't call it _staring,_ Ned," Peter insisted, becoming increasingly flustered by the second.

"Aha!" Ned exclaimed, triumphant. "So you don't deny it!"

"I literally hate you, Edward Leeds," Peter said, but he wore an embarrassed smile, and his face was sporting a beet-like shade of red as he said it.

When the pair was finally in bed after a long night of watching movies and eating delicious takeout, Peter pondered his friend's observations in his head. He knew he had to be more honest with himself, but it just wasn't his nature to be upfront about such intimate secrets, and now he had _two_ to be hiding from MJ - what he did when he ditched AcaDec, and how he really felt about her.

May's voice suddenly entered his head. _You'll know how to tell her eventually, Peter. Just don't repress your feelings for too long, because if you do, you'll only be hurting yourself._ At that moment, he admired how well-spoken his aunt was. At the same time, he hated how right she was, because when May was right, and she was _always_ right, you had to honor her words.

* * *

 **So that's the third chapter. I realize that this one was kinda filler, there weren't a lot of important events in this one. Even though it's harder, I think I will pursue the next chapter from MJ's perspective. She's gotta find out who Peter is eventually, right? Oh, and those things she absolutely hates to acknowledge - feelings. Those will be realized in a few chapters. Leave a review, it's always helpful. Until next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Here's a super long chapter to make up for the slightly sparse one preceding it. It's the second longest I've written on this site. Be prepared for a lot of crap that's about to go down. I think the next chapter may be the last. Enjoy :)**

* * *

She'd only really said that to make him squirm, but the look he gave her was just full of surprise, and this only made MJ more curious about why he got so weird when they talked about Spider-Man.

 _"Whatever, dude. Why are you getting so worked up about it anyway? Do_ you _have a crush on Spider-Dork, pretty boy?" She said with a smirk._

 _There was a flash of fear in his eyes, and his mouth hung open for a second. What? Seriously, what was his deal with Spider-Man?_

 _And just like that, the look on his face was gone. She heard him whispering under his breath, but she only caught_ "Spider-Man."

MJ resolved to keep an eye on him after that. Not like she didn't already keep an eye on him like she totally did on everyone else, but now she would pay extra attention to him. If people asked her why she was paying so much attention to him, she'd say, as she had many times before, "I'm not obsessed with him, I'm just... very observant."

MJ was beginning to lose faith in that excuse, as were others. One time, she'd said that to Betty, and she'd looked at MJ weird.

"Are you sure it's not because you have the biggest goddamn crush on him and you just don't want to acknowledge it?" A cocked eyebrow was added on to make her seem more threatening, which was hard for Betty since her small frame made her look so huggable. MJ was still unnerved nonetheless.

She laughed awkwardly, leaning back against the nearest wall, which was further than she had expected, so she did an awkward extra step backward when the wall didn't stop her. She noticed Betty stifle a giggle.

"I have... absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Me? Peter? No way."

"Well," Betty had said, eyebrow still raised, "You're gonna have to stop lying to yourself soon, MJ." Then she'd sauntered off through the hallway.

MJ called after her, "Take your own advice! Talk to Ned!" _Good recovery, MJ. Nice job._

She could almost hear the blush forming on Betty's cheeks as she walked off. "Shut up, MJ!" She yelled back, not turning around to look at her.

MJ smiled slightly to herself. She'd won that battle, it seemed, but Betty's words stuck with her for the entire walk home. At least that time, she didn't almost get hit by a giant truck and have to be saved by Spider-Man.

She couldn't even read her book that night; her thoughts kept straying to Peter, and his good qualities, his _muscles,_ she -

God damn, she sounded like a freaking rom-com love interest. She'd sooner jump off the Empire State Building than start swooning or looking longingly across the room at the cause of her romantic plight.

Too bad she already kinda did one of those things. The staring. She liked to sketch people, too. Sure, most of the pages of her sketchbook were occupied with stills of Peter smiling or frowning or any possible facial expression you could think of, but she sketched other people, too, like the gym coach who presided over detention, that one time.

She preferred staring at, and sketching, Peter, though.

He was a great model, too. Sometimes, he didn't move at all for the duration of the almost hour-long classes, because he was watching videos of something on his computer. A couple times, she could have sworn she saw a flash of red and blue but she only glanced at the screen, because her focus was constantly on Peter.

 _God, I'm so cliche._

The moments when he caught her staring, though, were the worst. He'd finally look up from his computer, surveying his surroundings, and his eyes would always catch MJ's before she had a chance to turn away. To try and play it off, she'd flip him the bird with both hands and give him a smile. His eyebrows would always turn down at that, and he'd smile back, but it was the uncomfortable kind that she hated to see on his face, the one that showed her that she'd done something wrong.

Now, she prided herself on being undeterred by many things, but that look he gave her always made her feel bad. He probably mastered that sad puppy look when he was still in kindergarten or something, but she had no idea why it still worked today. Maybe she chose to be susceptible to it, though - why would a look like that work if a teenager was using it?

Maybe it was because he was _hella_ cute. That was probably it.

 _Damn it, maybe I do have a crush on Peter Parker._

* * *

Feelings like this were new to MJ. She'd been on the receiving end of romantic feelings before, but never the giver. She remembered times when people tried to awkwardly ask her out, casually, or not casually at all. One time, she got a full bouquet of roses along with a confession of undying love, from a boy in a tuxedo.

They were in the 6th grade.

And it wasn't always boys, either. Some girls even were interested in her at different points in time. She liked it when girls told her how they felt or asked her out because they were a thousand times more casual about it. A simple "Wanna hang out sometime after school," or "Just so you know, I really like you" was much better than whatever boys said. Boys always went overboard because they were so afraid of rejection, but what they didn't realize was that the bigger you go, the smaller you feel when you get let down.

However, MJ had no experience with telling people how she felt because one, she didn't _have_ feelings and two, she'd never felt attracted to someone before.

She considered Googling "how to tell your crush how you feel," but then realized that it was stupid. What kind of nerd would _Google_ something so important like that?

She'd just have to approach it the Michelle Jones way: totally and utterly winging it.

* * *

It was approaching Christmas, and the holiday spirit was truly showing in the people of New York. Some decorations went up in Midtown Tech, and students on the events committee began to promote the winter formal dance. Every time MJ heard someone talk about it, she gagged. The dances were so stupid. The only reason she'd come to homecoming last year was that she had nothing else to do, and also, Ned would not shut up about it. He really wanted her to "get out of her comfort zone" or some crap that she only thought she'd ever heard her parents say.

MJ had to admit, though, she was kind of feeling the holiday spirit this year. Something was different. Maybe this was a side effect of having feelings.

The first official day the decorations went up, December 5th, MJ walked into the school and saw the halls decked out in tinsel, plastic wreaths, and other ornaments. She smiled. Christmas had to be her favorite holiday: The snow came down, the songs were good, and the gifts she got were better.

A little selfishly, she thought about what the nerds were going to get her for Christmas. She knew from previous occasions that Peter was a masterful gift-giver. He was pretty thoughtful and always bought gifts based on inside jokes, or just a really great gift in general.

Ned, not so much. He usually got some crappy card from Hallmark at the last minute and hastily scribbled a message, but she appreciated it nonetheless. She didn't have anyone to really compare him to.

As she entered Midtown Tech, her senses were immediately overloaded with the chatter reverberating around the school, and the sea of people walking around her to get to their lockers or friends was pretty overwhelming. Nonetheless, she began walking again towards her locker, entering the fray.

Soon enough, MJ was able to wiggle her way through the commotion and take the necessary materials for her morning classes from her locker. As she began to turn away, she felt a hand tap her on the shoulder, and instinctively, her hand whipped out, away from her side, into where she assumed the face of the assailant would be. But before the back of her hand reached her target, she felt the hand grabbing her wrist. She turned to see who could have reacted so quickly, and who else could it have been but Peter Parker.

"You know," Peter said, smiling impishly, "you have really got to stop trying to slap me."

MJ immediately calmed knowing it was Peter and not some creep. "You scared the hell out of me, dor - Peter." She decided at that moment, if she was going to want something more with Peter Parker, she might as well call him by his name.

"Wow, calling me by my name now. Such respect I'm getting from you," Peter said, still smirking.

"What's up with all this weird confidence, Parker?" MJ was genuinely curious. Lately, it wasn't just at home where he retorted calmly and surely, but at school sometimes as well.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked dumbly.

"A month ago, you couldn't say a word to anyone who wasn't named Ned Leeds without stuttering until your cheeks were red. Now it's no problem. What's up with that?"

"I don't know," Peter said truthfully. "I really don't know."

"Anyway, why'd you stop me?" MJ finally got back to the subject that had been on her mind since he tapped her.

"Oh," Peter said, suddenly tenser than he had been. He ran a hand through his immaculately styled hair (yes, it looked good as hell) and stuttered. This was the old Peter she was used to. "I just wanted to, uh... say hi, you know... and also tell you that this gift I'm getting you for Christmas is gonna knock your socks off."

She scoffed. "Nobody says 'knock your socks off' unless it's the 90s, you nerd."

"That's what you think," Peter retorted good-naturedly, as they began to walk together to 1st period.

* * *

The day breezed by quickly, and MJ found herself not hating school as much as she normally had in the past. She was able to treat Peter like a friend, not a weird acquaintance who she only talked to when she felt like it. Laughter came easily to the pair in chemistry class when Peter would do something stupid with the equipment and it was never on purpose. She tapped him on the shoulder in English from behind to tell him stupid things she'd noticed while observing the class.

"Betty is staring at Ned," she whispered at one point. "Ned is staring back. They look like lovestruck puppies. Don't look, they'll make us if you do."

Peter looked anyway, but he was discreet. The two were indeed staring at each other. Ned's mouth was hanging open, and Betty kept glancing away and blushing, but she was still staring. It was only a matter of time before the professor noticed.

That moment came sooner than Peter and MJ expected; a few seconds later, the teacher said, "Edward, we know Ms. Brant is pretty, but save the staring for after class."

Betty stared at her fidgeting hands. Ned immediately turned towards the teacher and apologized profusely. "Of course, I am so sorry."

Peter and MJ were cracking up together, but quietly as to not draw attention to themselves. In her fit of laughter, MJ slapped a hand on Peter's shoulder, her other covering her mouth, and suddenly Peter stopped laughing. He looked at her hand as if it was alien. MJ immediately realized as well and drew her hand away rapidly, as if the physical contact had burned her.

Peter looked up from his shoulder to MJ agonizingly slowly, but instead of saying something, he just smiled. MJ found herself smiling back. The moment wasn't as awkward as she would have expected it to be.

She liked this new relationship (which was totally platonic) that she had with Peter. She didn't have to step on eggshells around him anymore - he seemed like a real friend.

* * *

MJ walked out the doors of Midtown Tech smiling wider than she'd ever smiled before, which wasn't very wide since she didn't smile a lot, but it was for her.

She elected to walk home again, and appreciate the brisk, biting air of the December weather that turned her nose and ears red. She wore a winter jacket and jeans, the latter not doing much in terms of protecting her from the cold, but she didn't want to wear baggy sweatpants that made a noise when her legs crossed.

She also chose not to read a book as she walked, since she didn't want a repeat of previous events. Trouble may not have found her that afternoon, but it certainly found her vicinity.

As she was walking across from a bank, she heard the telltale sound of suppressed gunfire. Many heads turned with her to the source of the sound, and they saw several masked criminals holding guns in one hand and sacks of money in the other. They were aiming at Spider-Man. Of course, he was on the scene immediately. But how? He only could have shown up so fast if he was in the area...

Whatever. MJ had bigger concerns right now, like avoiding the stray gunfire that was spraying around the street. She sprinted to the closest establishment, throwing open the door and taking cover behind the nearest wall. The gunfire continued.

MJ didn't want to die, so she stayed behind the wall, but she wanted to see how close the conflict was to getting resolved. Her curiosity eventually got the best of her, and she leaned out from the corner of the wall and looked out onto the street.

Everything looked clear, the criminals who had previously been shooting now incapacitated on the ground, but she saw Spider-Man leaning against one of the pillars, seemingly putting all of his weight on it. She immediately sprung into action and ran out of the store, eyes stuck to Spider-Man's heaving figure on the other side of the street. She ran right in front of the path of a car, which skidded to a halt and honked at her aggressively as she passed.

Finally, she ran up the steps to the vigilante's position and squatted next to him. "Are you okay? Does anything hurt?" She spoke quickly, placing a hand on his shoulder, ready to inspect any wounds he had.

The spandex-clad man spoke. "You know, you have _got_ to stop running in front of cars." MJ felt a smile tugging at her lips, but considering the current situation, now was not the time for humor.

"You didn't answer my question, idiot," MJ said, impatient. He wasn't taking everything as seriously as he should have.

His chest heaved with the effort it took to breathe. "Fine. I'm okay, MJ, everyth - "

Just as he began, he stopped. He glared down at the spider symbol on his chest and facepalmed. MJ frowned. Only two people in the entire world called her MJ. Only one fit Spider-Man's description. "How do you know my name?" She asked, demanding, but silently begging him to tell her that he'd heard it in passing from Peter or Ned, that he was someone _else_ at Midtown Tech.

He refused to speak, to her dismay.

"I swear to God," MJ groaned. "If it's really you, Parker, I'm gonna - "

"Stop, MJ. Yes, it's me. Oh, my God, I'm so stupid." MJ almost wanted him to take his mask off just so she could really know that it was Peter under there.

She was pretty angry, firstly because _all the signs were there and she chose to ignore them -_ his flakiness, his awkward demeanor whenever Spider-Man was the topic of the conversation, the convenience of his location just now. And secondly, because he had chose not to tell her. Really, she thought they were close, but Peter obviously thought she wasn't deserving of being in the loop about his secret.

That really messed with MJ.

"Well, are you all right?" She finally spoke, her voice shaking more than she wanted it to.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The accelerated healing will take care of it in no time," Peter said, his chest finally rising and falling at a less exaggerated speed.

"Okay, Spider-Nerd," MJ replied, a little mirth returning to her face, as the side of her mouth slowly inched up into a lopsided smile.

"Call me by my name, MJ," she heard him say as she got up, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Very poor choice of words, _Peter_ _."_ She whispered the last word, so as not to catch anyone's attention, as she backed away from him. She turned around without hearing Peter's stuttering, and walked down the steps, towards home.

* * *

 **Hope all of you enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review to show some support, and maybe include some writing tips if you've got any. Too bad this fic was designed to be short, I'm really enjoying writing it. Anyway, until next time! Peace.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry I took so long to update this story. I kind of lost motivation after posting the last chapter, but I knew that nonetheless, I had to finish it. I hope y'all enjoy. Here's the payoff you had to wait so long for.**

* * *

Peter had limped home, earning him some concerned looks from passersby as they saw the symbol of their city, their very own superhero, in a compromised state.

Scuttling up and down the walls became far more difficult than it had ever been with his injuries. He had to do it in order to get inside, because he couldn't afford people seeing Spider-Man enter their building, even worse an apartment.

The second Peter tugged the window open with his foot, he collapsed onto the top bunk of the bed at the end of his room. He didn't even possess the strength to close it. He lay, chest heaving once again from the exertion, not wanting to move.

However, he couldn't just stay like that in his suit where anyone could see him, and if May saw him like this she would freak and never let him go on patrols ever again.

So Peter dragged himself down the ladder of the bunk bed, tapped the spider emblem on his suit once to loosen it, and flopped down on the lower bed to rest. He didn't care to inspect his injuries, and just lay in bed for probably a half hour, letting his speed-healing do its work.

When May found him in his room wearing nothing but his boxers, she didn't question it. She simply opened the door, sighed, and then closed it. Peter could have laughed, but he was just so exhausted.

Finally, Peter's bruises seemed to be healed and he could change into some clothes, no longer feeling awkward with his damaged body and exposed skin.

His first order of business was to call MJ. He knew he had to discuss the whole deal with her because if her reaction was anything to go off of, he was in some deep shit.

When he had admitted that he was indeed Spider-Man, she'd immediately withdrawn her hand from his shoulder and took a small step back from him. The warmth of the contact immediately contrasted with the biting breeze of the winter day, and in reaction Peter sucked in a breath, not expecting it.

She'd immediately become somewhat closed off and her voice was no longer even. When he noticed that, he immediately knew he had made a mistake.

Now he had to fix it.

"Hey MJ, it's Peter. Can you please pick up? I know I messed up. I messed up big time. I want to talk about it because I want to fix this. Just please call me back."

She didn't call back, so Peter called again, only to be greeted with MJ's outgoing message.

"Hey, it's MJ. If I'm not picking up, I'm probably doing something better than talking to you, like drinking a nice cup of coffee and reading a thick book. Bye."

Then the oppressive subsequent beep would ring in his ear, almost teasing him, telling him in his head: _You really did it this time, Peter. Now she's never going to speak to you again._

At this point, Peter decided to give up. Texting her after calling her twice would seem very desperate, and MJ did not like people who were desperate. That only made her less receptive.

Peter was quiet at dinner, and when May inquired as to what was wrong with him, he hung his head low and glared daggers into his pasta.

"Seriously, Peter, what's up? You're never silent. Like, ever," May said, taking a bite. She tried to suppress her gag reflex and ultimately failed. Even she knew she was a terrible cook.

"I had a problem with MJ," Peter almost whispered, still looking deep into his plate.

May smiled knowingly as he finally looked up. "Did she reject you?"

Peter sighed and said, "Even worse. She found out I'm Spider-Man before I wanted to tell her."

He expected May to flip out since he'd violated one of the rules she'd set down that he could never break, but instead her reaction was calm, and her smile remained on her face.

"What, are you expecting me to yell at you? I always knew she'd probably figure it out anyway. That's a smart girl."

"Yeah, and now she isn't answering my calls or texts, and I don't know what to do. I think she's mad I didn't tell her sooner." Peter spun his fork around, wrapping pasta around it, but he didn't raise it to his mouth to eat. He probably knew it tasted awful as well.

May looked into his eyes as he looked up, and said softly, "Then you know what you have to do, Peter."

"I can't do that, May. She probably hates me now."

May placed her hand over Peter's idle one. "She doesn't hate you. She's probably just mad you didn't trust her. "

"But how do I fix this?"

"You're a big boy, Peter," May said, smiling playfully. "You'll figure something out."

* * *

The following week involved little to no interaction between Peter and MJ. Ned tried to initiate it multiple times, roping one into a conversation he was having with the other, but the most they would offer was a millisecond-long glance into the other's eyes and then they wouldn't look at each other again.

One afternoon, while they were walking to P.E. together, Ned finally voiced his thoughts. "Dude, what's been up with you and MJ lately? It's like you can't even be in the same room together or something."

Peter didn't want to talk about it in such an open area where anybody could be listening, but he felt he had to tell somebody, so he spilled the beans.

"She found out I'm Spider-Man. I - "

 _"Dude."_ Ned stopped in his tracks, but Peter couldn't stop himself before he took some extra steps, forcing him to look back at Ned and turn around. "How the hell did that happen?"

"I was _getting to that._ Anyway, you heard the story about the attempted bank robbery, right?" Ned finally started walking again.

"Yeah, they almost got you, man. That was pretty close. You're okay now, though... right?" Ned's voice trailed off as he finished his sentence.

"Yes, I'm okay. So, I was kinda beaten up or whatever, when I saw MJ running up to me. It was hard for me to get up, so I couldn't leave like I wanted to."

Ned was nodding vigorously, waiting for what Peter would say next. "Yeah?"

"So, since she didn't know who I was, she was treating me like a superhero and not a total dork, and it was okay for a moment. Then I had to go and screw it all up."

"How?" Ned frowned.

"I slipped, dude. I - I called her MJ, and only you and I call her MJ, and, well, I'm me,"Peter gestured toward himself, and then towards Ned. "And you're... you?" His eyebrows creased with concern after he realized what he'd said.

Ned rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Whatever, dude. So she found out you're Spider-Man, so what? She was going to find out anyway if you didn't tell her."

Peter's eyes became glued to his feet. "Yeah, I guess." He then felt a light punch on his shoulder.

"So do it, man! Atone for your sins. Fix your mistakes."

Peter nodded, accepting his fate. It was either ask for forgiveness and hope for the best or never speak to MJ again. He knew he wanted the former.

So after school, he saw MJ pushing through the doors with her forearms, for her hands were full with yet another thick volume. He stuffed his things into his bookbag and jogged after her.

Just before the door clicked into place, Peter shoved through it and a few unsuspecting students who gasped as he passed. The cold wind sent a small chill down his spine, and he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing straight up.

Peter closed his eyes momentarily, absorbing the cold and adjusting before they shot open again and scoured the landscape for MJ.

Peter found her walking at a steady pace through the courtyard, head still buried in her book. He descended the steps quickly and caught up to her almost immediately. Increased speed was another perk of the bite.

He tapped her on the shoulder once. No response.

He tapped her two times, saying quietly and uncertainly, "MJ?"

Finally, she looked up from the book and left it hanging haphazardly at her side in her left hand, while her right adjusted her unruly curls, tucking them behind her ear.

A hefty sigh escaped her lips as she turned to him, and while shifting her weight to her left foot so that her hip was popped, she said, "What do you want, Peter?"

Peter laughed nervously and ran his hand through his hair before responding. Damn it, he would need to stop doing that if he wanted to be taken seriously.

"Well, I want... I want to talk," Peter managed.

MJ barked out a laugh. "No shit, Spider-Boy."

"Yeah, you see, that's - that's the exact thing I wanted to talk about. So, um..." Peter trailed off. He wasn't good at this stuff.

"Spit it out, dude. I have places to be."

"Yeah, right. Reading until the unholy hours of the night in your bedroom?" Peter spat before he realized what he was saying.

MJ's frown increased when he finished. "Oh, so I guess you're too cool for me, huh, dressing up in a spandex suit and swinging around the city, possibly risking your life at every turn?" That seemed to be the end of her sentence, but after a pause, she added quietly, "When I put it that way, it does sound pretty cool, but that's _beside the point."_

MJ turned on her heel and began to stride off when Peter grabbed her arm, effectively preventing her from going anywhere else. She glanced at his hand and then back up into his eyes, turning back around to face him.

"I didn't mean to say it like that, MJ. That was - that was harsh." Peter pulled his hand away from her arm, stuffing it into his pocket to keep from fidgeting. "What I wanted to say was, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you sooner about the whole... _Spider-Man_ thing. I was going to, I swear, I just - I just wasn't ready."

"Well," MJ said, fiddling with the right strap of her backpack with her right hand, "I appreciate your honesty, Peter. I really do. I know this is a big secret that you're not supposed to be telling a lot of people, but... I thought we'd achieved that level of trust by now. I thought it was you, me, and Ned, you know, the best friends. I feel like it's only you and Ned now, though..." She finished, crossing her arms over her chest and glancing around their feet.

"MJ. MJ, of course, I trust you. Of course, it's the three of us. I'm sorry I made you feel that way," Peter said quietly. "I just can't live knowing that the great Michelle Jones hates me," he added, more confidently.

"I don't hate you, dork. But pull a stunt like that again and I just might," MJ said, smirking.

Peter felt as if a huge weight had just been taken off of his shoulders. He laughed. He couldn't help it. This was the most at peace he'd felt in a while.

"Good to know, MJ. Good to know."

* * *

 _ **Epilogue:**_

Christmas night had arrived, and the two Parkers had elected to have a party in their small apartment, for a select few: Ned, MJ, and themselves.

Peter would have thought May would feel a little lonely being the only adult, and he had discussed this with her beforehand, but she assured him that she would be just fine.

At the moment, Peter was coming back from the bathroom after washing his hands, when at the end of the hallway just before entering the living room, Peter was stopped by MJ standing in his way.

"What's up, MJ? You enjoying the party?" Peter asked, trying to sound as calm as possible, leaning his elbow against the wall.

"You're a real idiot, Parker," was all MJ said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well," Peter said, frowning slightly, "Isn't that a little harsh? 'Cause I _definitely - "_

"Look up, nerd."

He obliged her, searching the ceiling above them when his eyes landed and rested on a small green plant hung from a nail in the wall.

"Oh," was all he could manage before MJ grabbed his waist, pulled him so that he was leaning against the wall, and firmly planted her lips on his.

Peter hadn't realized that this was what he'd been wanting ever since he'd met MJ, but now that he was experiencing it, it was a million times better than he could have ever imagined it to be.

He reciprocated, placing his hands on both sides of her face, caressing her right cheek with his left thumb. She tasted like cherries. Did that mean she was wearing _lip gloss?_ He could have sworn he noticed something different about her when he'd opened the door to let her and Ned in.

When she pulled away, her hands stayed resting on his sides and his on her cheeks. Their faces were inches apart, and Peter could feel her somewhat heavy breath against his lips.

Peter couldn't resist. "So was that what the lip gloss was for?" He asked, grinning slightly.

She rolled her eyes but she was smiling back at him. "You're welcome, dork."

* * *

 **There it is, folks. Hope you enjoyed. I don't know what piece I'm going to write next, but maybe PM me some ideas! I'd love to fulfill some of your requests. As always, I'd appreciate a review. Thanks for reading.**


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